As the construction of the Enterprise was completed, AdmiralNorah Satie and Starfleet Command decided that Halloway should be the Enterprisecommanding officer on its long-term voyage of exploration. Halloway initially accepted the honor, but his wife, Solveig, wasn't set on a life in space, as her chosen career would be of little or no use aboard a starship. Additionally, a number of accidental deaths during the Enterprise construction left him unsure whether command was for him.

Following the Enterprise commissioning ceremony in late 2363, Halloway informed Satie he would turn down command. In his place, Satie assigned CaptainJean-Luc Picard as EnterpriseCO. Around this same time, he and his wife purchased a home on Luna.

Halloway remained at Utopia Planitia, where he worked first on the design of the Andromeda-class explorers, and then supervised construction of the Nebula-classUSS Melbourne. This ship was five weeks from flight in early 2367 when the Borg, led by Locutus, threatened Earth, and an armada was called to Wolf 359. Halloway took command of the still-incomplete Melbourne in that battle, and was killed in action.